News

Education research centre secures major contract with China

(1 February 2005)

The Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre (CEM) at Durham University has just finalised details of a major contract with the government of China for the development of national examination systems.

The £459,000 contract will involve working with the Ministry of Education through a newly-formed body to set up examination systems in three areas of China with a view to these being implemented across the whole of the People’s Republic.

The three-year project will involved setting up mechanisms for embedding two CEM monitoring projects within China and these will run for the foreseeable future.

A high-level delegation of 12 officials from educational establishments across China visited Durham last January on a fact-finding mission. It was headed by Madam Zhu Muju, Deputy Director General of the Basic Education Department of China’s Ministry of Education. She has the responsibility for the education of 200 million children.

The visitors spent two days visiting schools and gathering detailed knowledge of how the CEM Centre uses monitoring systems in this country and more widely. Madam Zhu was very impressed with the schools, the LEA work and the CEM Centre and invited a return visit to China

Professor Peter Tymms, Director of the CEM Centre, Dr Qingping He and S.M. Tsui from Hong Kong, who has been coordinating Durham links with China, later visited Beijing to discuss further collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Beijing Normal University.

It has been agreed that the CEM Centre will assist them in setting up experimental systems which will be used to trial national curriculum based assessments which are planned for schools in the whole of China. Alongside this work, CEM monitoring systems will be developed with the aim of being made available to schools around China in the longer term.

Professor Tymms said : “This is a significant development in our collaborative work in China and its represents a major step forward in the international work of CEM and further enhances our worldwide status and reputation as a centre of excellence. It puts us in a stronger position to have a positive influence on the education of young children. Although in its early stages, this collaboration promises both exciting and productive and reflects the magnitude of the hard work and achievements of the CEM Centre.”

For further information contact : Dr. Robert Coe, Secondary Projects Director, CEM Centre, Mountjoy Block 4, Stockton Road, Durham Tel 0191 334 4184/334 48329 Fax 0191 334 8311

Media contact : Tom Fennelly, Public Relations Office, University of Durham Tel 0191 334 6078 e-mail t.p.fennelly@durham.ac.uk Notes to editors

The CEM Centre is committed to applying the best standards of science to the development and evaluation of policies. The Centre is now the largest provider of performance indicators to schools and colleges in the world, through the distributed research projects.

The CEM Centre is a research centre unique in that it provides indicator systems that are confidential to schools and colleges. Staff also undertake evaluations and research and development projects. It is widely regarded as a leading provider of on screen tests and questionnaires. The innovative selection test for Eton was developed and delivered by the CEM Centre.

The centre runs the biennial conference, Evidence-Based Policies And Indicator Systems, an international and multi-disciplinary conference, first held in July 1997 at the University of Durham. This conference is part of the commitment to developing evidence-based practice. CEM have undertaken research with many government agencies to develop, test and evaluate policies.